Featured Salvaged Brass Decorative Kris Style Dagger

Knabbed up a box of salvaged brass hardware and fixtures recently and found this decorative dagger in the mix. Trying to figure out what this may had been attached too? Its solid and heavy and about 15" long.

 

While im looking through the box, figured i share some of these photos. A few other pieces here if anyone might know what they belong too so that i can find the right home. Saved this stuff from being melted.

 

Personally, I would not melt any of it. I love these types of items. Brass is like $1.50 USD. Not even worth it for the smaller stuff. You could put a few lots together and sell on the platform of your choice and do alright.

I'm clueless on a bunch of these. Some are for decorating wood jewelry boxes, furniture, and such. Looks like a couple finials. Bottom photo has some backer plates for drawer pulls, and a bunch of decorative rosettes for embellishment purposes.

The lock/pull combo is cool.

 

I know a couple of scrappers that literally will melt anything?!?! I always shake them down when i can. Yea, ive been selling a few lots on ebay already. Had a few gorgeous door knockers that sold in a sec and 10x my money already. I want to know what those vines went too. Theyre pretty cool

 

Is that an estate find or something else?

 

good save !
the knife is a wall hanger...and the vines look like they may have come from a clock...

 

Im friends with 2 guys who do garbage and clean outs. But they also hoard scrap. I pick through there scrap every once in awhile and found these.

 

something like this , perhaps...

 

One of those brutish men probably bent the living heck out of them!

 

the dawg may be an andiron handle....

 

Like a fire stoker / fork? That seems correct.

 

The vines arent bent. I wish both were identical. Then at least they could be repurposed symmetrically

 

Oh. One of them looks like it's twisted /contorted.

 

Yea, its made that way, they are really solid. You can see a mounting hole on the tail of the curved one

 

The keris/kris looks like a pastiche. The hilt looks likes it was taken from/based on a Tibetan vajra dorje.

 

It is not a keris, but a related spiritual symbol. It is a Tibetan representation of the flaming sword of Manjushri.
Manjushri is the Boddhisattva of insight. A Boddhisattva is an aspect of the Buddha.

The sword is a symbol that ignorance and duality are cut down by insight.
Duality in this case means the concept of good v. evil. In enlightenment good and evil are replaced by an all encompassing higher awareness. When that awareness becomes the essence of a person, it can be represented by the flaming sword.

I hope I explained that well.

The Vajra/Dorje on top of the hilt is a symbol of the way enlightement can be reached. The mythical animal is a Makara, it is there to protect the sword.
These hilts are seen on many Himalayan ceremonial daggers, also ones that are centuries old.

Tibetan Manjushri, note the Dorje finial on the hilt:


Manjushri swords are intended for ceremonial dances, most are straight:



Yours has nice natural wear on the bronze. Please don't ever melt it. Just de-rust it.
The shape of is unusual, but ceremonial daggers of various shapes abound in Asia.
It reminds me of a West Javanese kujang rather than a keris. Like my ceremonial Kujang Siliwangi, full of symbolism in shape and Islamic texts:


About the Islamic texts on an item with pre-Islamic roots, that is typical for Javanese/Madurese syncretism, the acceptance and blending together of different spiritual traditions. When something is good, it is good whatever your nominal faith is.

 

Excellent advice. Thank you so much. Yea i didnt really realize that kris blades are straight with wavy edge(rather than wavy blade). I showed a picture to another buddy of mine and he told me it reminded him of a "bichwa"? But at this point, youve steared me in the right direction.

 

Pleasure, Scott.

Manjushri swords are mostly straight with a wavy edge. But they are not keris, but a different kind of Asian spiritual weapon.

Keris blade are not straight with a wavy edge.
The blades are either straight:


Or wavy:


For any keris lovers out there, these are both from Madura, Indonesia.